CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte women's volleyball team suffered a setback on Saturday afternoon falling to Lenoir-Rhyne 3-1 at Curry Arena in the Levine Center. The loss dropped the Royals to 11-8 overall and 6-4 in South Atlantic Conference play while the Bears improved to 11-3 overall and 9-1 in league action.
 
In the opening set, the Bears wasted no time by grabbing the first four points. The two squads would go back-and-forth early before Lenoir-Rhyne utilized a 7-0 run late in the set to grab the first set. The Bears would hit .172 while committing seven attacking errors and the Royals hit .119 on six errors. The Royals struggled early in the opener to find a rhythm offensively, but a late push carried into the second.
 
In the second set, the Royals managed to execute their offensive game plan by hitting a game-high .306 and 14 kills. Grace Giunta (Palm City, Fla.) led the attack with four kills and Lindsay Elmore (Salisbury, N.C.) and Jordyn Johnson (Jamestown, N.C.) would contribute three each. The Royals net presence was on full display in the set tallying seven blocks, including a solo from Lindsay Elmore and Kayla McDuffie (Winterville, N.C.).
 
It appeared the Royals would carry the momentum into the third set by jumping out to an early 7-3 lead. The veteran Bears' squad would not budge as they inched closer and found their groove on offense. The Royals would hit .106 in the third while the Bears clipped .182. The final set saw the Bears jolt ahead 10-3. It appeared the Royals were depleted, but a late push almost brought the home team back. Trailing 23-16, Queens mounted a 7-1 push to close it to 24-23, but the Bears recorded a kill from Emma Clark to seal the victory.
 
The Royals were led by Jordyn Johnson recording a double-double on 16 kills and 11 digs and Brooke Farley (Fort Mill, S.C.) notching a double-double with 48 assists and 14 digs. Grace Giunta and Alleigh Johnson (Winterville, N.C.) recorded 12 and 11 kills respectively. The defense was led by Loren Johnson (Huntersville, N.C.) tallying 24 digs and Kayla McDuffie adding three blocks, including two solos. The Bears were led by Taylor Prall with 19 kills and 23 digs.
 
The Royals will get a few days off before they continue their home stand on Thursday, Oct. 21 when they welcome Anderson University. The match will begin at 7:00 p.m. from Curry Arena in the Levine Center. Be sure to follow the Royals on Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date on all game updates and news.